The Bay Area real estate market has been highly competitive for the past couple of years. Even more so than usual. Home buyers have had to contend with rapidly rising prices, shrinking inventory, and stiff competition from other buyers. Now,…
A survey showed that many military members in California and nationwide believe that VA home loans take longer to process than conventional mortgages. But that's not always the case. In fact, mortgage industry data show there's only a minor difference…
It's no secret that home prices in the San Francisco Bay Area far exceed the national average. In fact, we live in one of the nation's most expensive real estate markets, when measured by median house values. And prices have…
This is the latest in a series of articles designed to educate California home buyers on the FHA loan program. In previous articles, we looked at the basic document requirements for this program and the minimum down payment. Today, we…
This article explains some of the documents that are needed for an FHA loan in California. Commonly requested items include W-2 forms and tax returns for the past couple of years, pay stubs, bank statements, and other financial documents. The FHA…
According to a recent report, the San Francisco Bay area is the most competitive real estate market in the country. Specifically, this report looked at the number of homes that are selling above the original list price, for the nation's top…
What's the best type of mortgage loan to use when buying a home in the Bay Area? This is a common question among home buyers in the Bay Area, and rightfully so. Given the pricey nature of our real estate…
A new survey showed that there are many misconceptions regarding the VA loan program. For instance, many veterans and active-duty military in California believe they have to put down at least 20% when using a VA-guaranteed mortgage loan. These misperceptions…
Most of the homes sold within the San Francisco Bay Area have ended up selling for more than $1 million. That's based on a report from the state's Realtor association, which is summarized below. A separate report showed that the…
In a previous blog post, we talked about credit scores and how they can affect California home buyers when applying for a mortgage loan. Today, we'll examine credit reports and the types of information they contain. These two subjects go hand-in-hand,…
